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Sunday, July 27, 2025

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Marginalia’s Open Mic and the Power of Vulnerability

Reading time: about 5 minutes

On Oct. 18, 2024 in the Anne Curry Durland Memorial Alternatives Library in Anabel Taylor Hall, people from across the academic spectrum showed up to share their poetry with one another. It was a two hour event, starting around 7 and lasting until 9 p.m.. For those 120 minutes, every ear was carefully attentive to the words of both friends and strangers, as one by one, people would come to the front of the room and present a poem or two for all to hear. After each poem, a flurry of snapped fingers would caress the walls, and then silence again. Some poets read with rapid energy, others with a muted timidity. And people didn’t need to read their own poems; various poems by popular artists were read and enjoyed. There was a bit of food as well to make things a bit more fun. It was calm, it was quaint — it was vulnerable.

The event was organized by Cornell University’s undergraduate poetry magazine and club, Marginalia Review; their meetings are typically every week on Thursday, 6 to 7 p.m. in Goldwin Smith Hall 160. On this day, however, they gathered in a library near the edge of campus to share in their passion for poetry. While they certainly shared poetry, I believe it was more than just pretty words that they shared; in fact, not all of the words were pretty. The experience was raw, filled with personality, hope, love, hate, tragedy, comedy and sincerity. This was human bonding at its finest, an ephemeral sanctuary of verse. There was laughing and there was crying. And there was fear, fear of opening up to these people, to the world, fear of letting them know you that much better, of knowing your world, their world — and then that fear was overcome.

I spoke to a couple of people at the event and collected their thoughts on the open mic. I spoke with Jared Klein ’25, a neuroscience major and one of the people in charge of Marginalia. He emphasized that it is “very important to have an emotional outlet and a creative outlet.” Personally, this was my first open mic and I also read a few poems of mine; it was enjoyable to be able to have this time to share my work with others and hear what they have to read as well. 

Klein also stated that “it’s a good chance for me to learn about poetry and practice my poetry,” which mirrors the way I felt about the event. Klein also made it clear that it was “not just people who have a background in English and poetry.” All people are welcome at the club and at events like the open mic. He further discussed that open mics are typically twice a semester and are the club’s most attended events. What I believe should be most emphasized, though, is the following: “we are able to create a very safe space where people feel comfortable and I think that can be very important.” The ability to create a safe space for those who wish to come together and share in their life struggles and successes has the potential for great moments, new friends and a deeper understanding of what it means to be alive. Poetry, at its core, is “a verbal means to a nonverbal source,” as it was so fittingly put by Cornell’s very own A. R. Ammons, who passed away in 2001. The open mic is an opportunity to connect with that source.

Klein also discussed how “the club kind of went through a rebirth after Covid.” They have been trying to bounce back and I think they have been rather successful. Events like these help promote the club and there will be no shortage of fun club events in the future.

I also spoke with Haider Rizvi ’28, a physics major who decided to attend the event. He came with the intention of sharing the poetry of a friend of his. He shared with me that “I found that that was the closest poem to my heart,” with regards to one of the poems he presented at the event. He talked about how “the people here are wonderful” and there was a “common love for it [poetry].” As well as this, he emphasized that “I like the community aspect of it.” For people at Cornell looking for community, this might be just the place. Rizvi spoke also of the people there being those “who are comfortable being vulnerable around each other,” mirroring the sentiment that Klein shared. “It helps to know that the other person is listening to you,” said Rizvi.

When asked if he would recommend the open mic, Rizvi stated “if I knew that person was into poetry, absolutely.” You heard him; all you poets out there, don’t hesitate to be a part of one of Cornell’s most artistic and vulnerable spaces. And to all of you who aren’t poets, it doesn’t hurt to try new things!

Caidan Pilarski is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at cwp56@cornell.edu.


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